Vacation Ideas with a Baby

Hi L.!
When my kids were little we had many wonderful vacations at Herrinton State Park near Deep Creek Lake, MD. It is about two and a half hours by car and very beautiful. There is a serene lake with no motor boats only canoes, a beautiful stream to explore by canoe, trails to hike, a sandy beach and shallow water. Rustic cabins there rent for about $350 per week. They are equipped and there is a log burning fireplace in every cabin, as well as a charcoal grill and picnic table outside (no TV). There are two tennis courts and a playground for the cabin guests, and the lake has a picnic area and another playground and a view of a glorious sunset over the water every night.
-:)
N

Hi L., I have been looking for places also to take a 22-month old. Here is one place I found close to Pittsburgh, we haven't tried it yet, but it does look very child-friendly:
http://www.jellystonemillrun.com/

Hi! Don't be too intimidated by travelling with a baby. We've taken our son all over the place. Pretty much all hotels will put a crib in your room for free, just let them know when you are making your reservations. With that in mind - anywhere you'd like to go, your baby will too. In my opinion, anyplace with water is great. Our little guy has been to the beach several times and really like it - sitting on the sand and playing at the end of the water. The only challenge is planning around naptime - but hey, it's best to stay out of the sun during that peak sunburn time anyway! Plan away and have fun.

Hi L.,

It depends on you and your husband's interests..but have you thought of a state park lodge? We have really enjoyed that in the past. Most of them have big pools and lots of hiking. Do you have a backpack carrier for your little guy? We have brought our bikes in the past (we have a child bike trailer) and had a lot of fun with that. You can picnic during the day or eat at the lodge usually. Sometimes, depending on the park, they have horses and/or other animals. We have stayed at Salt Fork in Ohio, Houston Woods in OH, Maumee Bay in OH, Geneva in OH and probably more. Salt Fork is my favorite. We are from Ohio that's the reason for all the OH parks, but there are loads in PA also if this turns out to interest you.
Good luck - just wanted to offer a suggestion!

M.

We've taken our kids camping at that age. Along with the camping gear and the usual things, we added a pack n play. We usually go to a campground that has a pool (and sometimes a lake or pond for fishing) and other activities. My friend took her kids to a campground that was on the beach. They could enjoy all of the amenities of the campground as well as the beach.

Several of my friends have taken their kids to the beach. Their children range in age from newborn to age 5. Just remember the sunscreen.

I can't think of many places I would be unable to take my kids. Think about what sounds fun to you. Then think about what you would need to do to include your son. Hiking, for instance, could be a great way to spend time. To include your son, grab a baby carrier like the Ergo carrier where you can wear him in a front carry or on your back. Additionally, he could be worn by either you or your husband. He is old enough to take in a pool or onto a beach as long as you watch him. If you want to go to either and want a little more freedom to relax, take a pack n play and some toys for in it. He can play with you and while you get a little tanning or reading in play in the pack n play.

I know that a lot of places may sound daunting. But even sightseeing is something you can do. Pick a place you want to visit (if we had the money, we'd be going back to visit New Orleans). Your son is still at that age where they usually like to check out their surroundings. Isn't that what you are doing when you are sightseeing.

The only thing that I would be concerned about is a long drive if you son doesn't like being in his carseat. We've done long drives with our kids without problems. We just planned lots of stops and did a great deal of our driving after our kids bedtimes letting them sleep in their carseats,.

I mentioned going back to visit New Orleans. We did that with our daughter when she was 3. They have a nice zoo, a great acquarium, some wonderful playgrounds, many sights to see, many tours you can take, and wonderful wonderful food.

Find a place with sights you want to see and pack a few toys for your son. One of the keys is to try to keep some semblance of his schedule while you are on vacation. If a certain time of day is his naptime, try to keep that as his naptime while you are on vacation. Maybe not everyday, but most days. Also, try to keep his feeding schedule the same. These things will help keep him happier, well rested and well fed. Also, plan a little time each day to just sit and play with him. For instance, if you stay at a hotel/motel, set aside a half hour or so where you just sit in the room and play with his things in the morning and maybe another half hour at night just to help him unwind.

Anyhow, I guess what I am saying is go where you want to go. There are some things he won't be able to do (skydiving would be out!) but there are so many things that he can just be a little tag along with you on. The key is knowing how you want to manage it. Are you going someplace where you will use a stroller all the time or would you rather bring your (or get if you don't have one) baby carrier with you? Do you need your pack n play or will there be a crib at the place you are going to?

Also, another great option is the grandparent option. Pick someplace that is near relatives (your parents or your husbands for example) and see if they will keep your son for part of the time so that you can do what you want to do for a couple days. Then pick up your son and take him to do those things that you think he would enjoy coming along for. You might even want to invite the family members to join you for a day or two.

Anyhow, I hope this helps. Good luck and hope you have a great vacation.

Hiya from across the river (Moon Twp, haha)! One of the many great things about living here, is the multitude of driving vacations! Poconos, Niagara Falls, Chataugua (sp?) Lake, Lake Erie, DC, Deep Creek, Laurel Highlands area - all of which we would take our young child. Further away would be along the Smokies, or down to Nashville. Good luck!

At this age, we took our son to the beach. Ocean City is just about 7 hours away and kids love playing in the sand. At this age the thing that you need to do is go somewhere that YOU want to go and just bring him along. He is too young to have any special needs on vacation like child friendly activities. At the beach, the two of you can relax and hang on the beach and he is going to love being with both Mom and Dad no matter where you are.

Hi L.,

I have a 6 month old and have been asking around about vacation ideas as well. As first time parents, my husband and I were having the same problem. People tell us Erie, PA is a great place to go because they have tons of activities up there for kids (including an enormous indoor water park for kids). And it's not that far away. Maybe two hours or so. Also, my husband's mom and dad use to take him to Idlewild when they were little. That's not far at all. In fact, my sister-in-law just took our little one there and she did great with the drive and the park. Last month, my husband and I took a weekend trip to Seven Springs, which was pretty fun too. Our little one did great and they gave us a pack-n-play for no charge while we stayed there. Hope this helps!